Automobile-fender.



J. LEDWINKA.

AUTOMOBILE FENDER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1915.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Illiilmllullllilllllllllll flux/1f) p/t Ledwinha .l. LEDWINKA.

AUTOMOBILE FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1915.

1,284,374. Patented N0V.12,.191s.

2 SHEETSSHEET Z.

fizz/W222i" Joseph Leazm'n/ia.

JOSEPH LIEDWINKA, 0F PHILADELPHIA,

BUDD MANUFACTURING C0., 01: PHILA 0F JPENNSYLVANIA.

PENNSYLVANIA, A SSIGNOR TO EDWARD G. DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION AUTOMOBILE-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1%18.

Application filed February 13, 1915. Serial No. 7,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnrH LEDWINKA,

" a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia,

in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvanla, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Automobile-Fenders, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to fenders. It is particularly applicable tofenders for automobiles.

Fenders comprise in general a crown and a skirt, which are stamped outof sheet metal, and joined together to form a single structure.Difliculty is experienced in uniting the parts so that the joint betweenthem is rigid and at the same time smooth and finished. As heretoforeconstructed, a large amount of time and labor has been required forgrinding and polishing the joints to give them a proper finish.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a fenderhaving a smooth and finished joint.

Another object is to provide a. light, strong, and durable structure.

Another object is to provide a structure which may be readilymanufactured.

A further-object is to combine a lamp support with a fender, so that thelamp will be rigidly supported and the wires leading thereto thoroughlyprotected.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a fender embodying theinvention Figure 1 is a view of a fender in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 "of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view .of the transverse section of the joint between thecrown and skirt.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the assembled structure with the crown brokenaway to show the interior construction.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the supporting arm.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of the lamp bracket.

The tender comprisesin general a crown 1 and a skirt 2 suitablysupported by an arm 3 attached to the side rail 4 of the chassis. -Abracket 5 is combined with the tender to form a support for a lamp.

The crown 1 is a sheet metal stamping of suitable shape to guard thewheel of an automobile, and at the same time present a neat, artisticappearance. It is formed with an inturned flange 7, adapted to engage acorresponding flange 6 on the skirt.

The skirt 2 is also stamped from sheet metal. It has an inturned flange6 adapted to be joined to the flange 7 on the crown, so that the crownand skirt form a unitary fender structure.

The. inturned flanges 6 and 7 are generally joined together by Welding,preferably by spot weldin The parts may thereby be quickly andefficiently united. By welding the inturned flanges together the partsare united so that the joint between them is not only tight and rigid,but it is finished in appearance. The tedious process of grinding andpolishing the joint between the parts is eliminated.

The arm 3 comprises a sheet metal body of channel shape having'a flange8 extending laterally from each side of the top of the channel, an anglebracket 9 one wall 10 of which is spot-welded to the flanges 8 at thelower extremity of the body, and a reinforcing foot 11 which fits overaportion of the lower extremity of the body and is spot- Welded thereto,as indicated at 12. The foot 11 has laterally extending flanges 13 whichabut bent portions of the flanges 8, and the angle bracket 9 has aprojecting wall 14. This construction provides means whereby the arm orbracket 3 may be secured conveniently and rigidly to the side rail 4 ofthe chassis.

The sheet metal body of the arm 3 is slightly depressed at its inner andlower extremity to accommodate the bracket 9 and the skirt 2 abuts theflanges 8 and extends downwardly over the wall 10 of said bracket. Abead 15 is formed at the edge of the skirt, by shaping the edge around awire filler 16, presenting a strong and finished construction.

The lamp bracket 5, formed of sheet metal, comprises a. base portion 17provided with rivet holes 18. These rivet holes cor- 17, whereby lampbracket 5. In like manner, the side rail 4 is apertured to recelve thelamp wires, and the whole construction forms a protective housing.

The supportin arm 3 is shaped to conform with and a ut the under side ofthe crown 1, and also to abut the skirt 2 for a .considerable portionofits width. It is particularly shaped to pass across the edges of theinturned flanges 6 and 7. The outer longitudinal side edge of the crownis beaded as at 21, and the outer end 22 of the bracket 3 is downturnedto take in over the bead and is spot-welded to the side edge of thecrown.

It is to be noted that the skirt 2 is stamped to provide in one piecewhat is known as the skirt, and the skirt guard, the concave tailportion 23 of the skirt serving as the skirt guard. .An upstanding edge24 of the concave portion extends adjacent the side rail of the-chassisand is secured thereto by suitable means.

It will thus be seen that a light, durable and artistic fender has beenprovided, which is made from a minimum number of parts. These parts areconstructed so that they may be quickly, neatly and rigidly joinedtogether, Without expending time and energy i1 grinding and polishingthe joint.

The fender support is simple, rigid and efiicient. It not only supportsthe fender but it holds the lamp bracket and forms a conduit forprotecting the wires leading to the lamp. Inasmuch as many changes couldbe made in the above construction and many widely different embodimentsof this invention could be made without departing from the scopethereof, it isintended, that all matter contained in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be considered asillustrative and not in a limiting sen What I claim as new and desire tosecure by, Letters Patent of the United States is l. A vehicle fenderhaving, in combination, a crown and a skirt, the contiguous edges ofsaid crown andskirt being provided with inturned abutting flanges whichare joined together so that the parts are firmly united by a jointhaving a smooth exterior.

2. A vehicle fender having, in combination, a crown and a skirt, saidparts being formed out of sheet metal and having the contiguous edgesthereof provided with in turned abutting flanges which are weldedtogether whereby the parts are firmly united by a joint having a smoothexterior.

3. A vehicle fender having, in combination, a crown and a skirt, saidparts being formed out of sheet metal and havin the contiguous edgesthereof provided wit inturned abutting flanges which are spot weldedtogether whereby the parts are firmly united by a joint having a smoothexterior.

4. A vehicle fender having a crown and a skirt, the contiguous edges ofsaid parts being provided with inturned abutting flanges which arejoined together, and a supporting arm adapted to be attached to saidvehicle frame, said arm being formed to avoid the inturned flanges andto engage the crown and skirt.

5. A vehicle fender having a lamp bracket on the exterior thereof and asupporting arm for the fender adapted to be attached to a vehicle frame,said arm forming a conduit leading to the lamp bracket.

6. A vehicle fender having a lamp bracket on the exterior thereof, saidbracket being shaped to form a conduit for-wires, and a supporting armfor the fender adapted to be attached to a vehicle frame, said armformin a conduit communicating with a conduit of the bracket through anopening in the fender.

7. A vehicle fender having a sheet metal lamp bracket on the exteriorthereof, said bracket being shaped to form a conduit for wires and apressed metal supporting arm for the fender, said arm being formed witha channel therein the open side of which is inclosed by the undersurface of the fender whereby an inclosed conduit is provided, saidlatter conduit communicating with the former through an opening'in thefender.

8. A vehicle fender having attached thereto a lamp bracket stamped outof a single sheet of metal, said bracket being adapted to support a lampcasing and to form a conduit for wires leading to the lamp.

9. A fender comprising, in combination, a crown and a skirt, said partsbeing formed out of sheet metal and'being provided with abuttinginturned flanges, and a supporting arm for said fender having portionsthereof engaging said crown and said skirt and united thereto, and otherportions adapted to be connected to a vehicle frame.

10. A fender comprising, in combination, a crown and a skirt each ofwhich is formed from sheet metal, the contiguous edges of said crown andskirt being provided with inturned abutting flanges which are weldedtogether and a supporting arm having portions thereof engaging saidcrown and skirt and united thereto, and other portions thereof adaptedto be connected to a vehicle frame.

11. A fender comprising, in combination, a crown and a skirt havingrespectively abutting inturned flanges, a bracket on the top side ofsaid skirt, and a supporting arm engaging the under side of said crownand skirt, said bracket, skirt and supporting arm being securely joinedtogether.

12. A fender, comprising in combination, a sheet-metal crown and asheet-metal skirt, said crown and skirt having respectively abuttinginturned flanges, and a support for said fender comprising a sheet-metalarm formed to avoid the said inturned flanges and engage the crown andthe skirt.

13. A fender, comprising in combination, a sheet-metal crown and asheet-metal skirt, said crown and skirt having respectively abuttinginturned flanges, a support for said fender comprising a sheet-metal armformed to engage the crown and the skirt, and a sheet-metal lamp bracketformed to provide a conduit for wires and comprising a base whereby saidbracket may be attached to said skirt.

14. A fender support comprising, in combination, a channel-shaped armhaving side flanges adapted to be attached to a fender, and an anglemember securedto the flanges of said arm near one end thereof, saidangle member having a portion extending sub' stantially at right anglesto the flanges at the end of the arm whereby said arm may be readilyattached to a rectangular vehicle frame.

15. A fender support comprising, in combination, a channel-shaped bodyhaving side flanges, an angle member secured by one .wall to saidflanges and having another wall extending laterally to provide forfastening means. and a second channel-shaped member fitting over thelower end of said body, secured thereto and provided with a downwardlyextending fastening portion.

16. A fender support comprising, in combination, a channel-shaped bodyhaving side flanges, an angle member secured by one wall to said flangesand having another wa ll extending laterally to provide fastening means,her fitting over the lower end of said body, secured thereto andprovided with a downwardly extending fastening portion, said anglemember being spot-welded to the side flanges of the body and said secondchannel member being spot-welded to the lower end of said body.

17. A vehicle fender having, in combination, a crown and a one-pieceskirt, the con tiguous edges of said crown and skirt being provided withinturned abutting flanges which are joined together so that the partsare firmly united by a joint having a smooth exterior.

18. A fender comprising, in' combination, a crown and a skirt, a bracketon the top side of said skirt, and a supporting arm engaging theunderside of said crown and and a second channel-shaped memskirt, saidbracket, skirt and supporting arm being securely joined together.

19. A vehicle fender having, in combination, a flanged or channel-shapedcrown and a skirt having an inturned flange, said inturned flangeabutting or sides of said channel-sha ed crown and being firmly unitedthereto fbr thepurpose described.

20. In a fender structure, a fender apron and lamp bracket weldedtogether, and a supporting bracket to which said apron is welded, saidlam bracket being opposed to said supporting bracket.

21. In a fender structure, a longitudinally curved fender and a fenderapron, said fender and apron having a longitudinally a longitudinallyflanges bent away from said outer surfaces,

extending along the line of longitudinal curvature and permanentlyconnected to gether, and "a support for said fender and apron.

24. In a fender structure, a fender curved both longitudinally andtransversely, a fender apron, said fender and apron having their outersurfaces substantially continu ous and having abutting flanges bent awayfrom said outer surfaces and permanently connected together, and a sheetmetal flanged channel bracket connected to and supporting said fenderand said apron, and shaped substantially to the transverse contour ofsaid parts.

25. In a fender structure, a fender, a fender apron, a sheet metalflanged channel bracket connected to and supporting said fender and saidapron, a sheet metal lamp bracket having a flanged base and locatedopposite to said supporting bracket upon the upper side of said apron.and connections between said parts.

26. In a fender structure, a fender apron, a flanged sheet metal channelbracket having its flanges connected to and supporting said fender andapron, a sheet metal lamp bracket having an elongated flanged baseextending transversely to the apron and sha ed to the transverse contourthereof, sai bracket being located upon said apron one of the flangessaid fender and apron with its flanges opposed'to the flanges of thechannel bracket, and connections whereby said parts form a unitarystructure.

27. In a fender structure, a fender, a fender apron, a channel bracketconnected to and supporting said fender and said apron, a lamp bracketlocated opposite to said supporting bracket upon the upper side of saidapron, said apron having an opening therethrough whereby said lampbracket communicates with the channel in said channel bracket, andconnections between said parts.

28. In a fender structure, a transversely curved sheet metal fender, afender apron, being permanently connected together, a sheet metalchannel bracket having flanges along its open side shaped so that saidflanges follow the transverse contour of said fender and apron, exceptin the region of the connected flanges, said bracket bridging saidconnection.

29. In a fender structure, a fender having integral lateral flanges, afender apron having a flange engaging one of the fender flanges andconnected thereto,a sheet metal flanged channel bracket for supportingsaid fender and apron, extending transversely thereto and of decreasingchannel depth as it approaches said fender, said channel tapering intothe plane of the flange and said bracket being bent down at the end toabut the outer fender flange.

30. In a fender structure, a transversely curved fender having adepending flange along its outer side and a flanged channel bracketsupporting said fender, said channel bracket being shaped to thetransverse contour of the fender, having a channel which tapers to theplane of the bracket flanges and being bent down at its end to abut saidfender flange.

31. In a fender structure for Vehicles, a fender, a fender apron, saidfender and apron being permanently connected .together, a sheet metalflanged channel bracket connected to and supporting said fender and saidapron and shaped to the transverse contour ofsaid parts except in theregion of the connected flanges. said bracket bridging said connection,being shaped at its lowermost end to abut the vehicle frame and having aconnecting strap and a reinforcing sheath.

32. In a .fender structure, a fender apron and lamp bracket permanentlyconnected together, and a supporting bracket to which said apron is alsopermanently connected, said lamp bracket being opposed to saidsupporting bracket.

33. In a fender structure, a fender apron and lamp bracket weldedtogether, and a supporting bracket to which said apron is welded, saidlamp bracket being opposed to said supporting bracket.

3a. A bracket adapted to support a mud guard and lamp in automobileconstruction embodying a pressed steel .member secured at its lower endto the frame of the automobile chassis, to position it in upstandingrelation thereto, said member being channeled in cross-section andprovided intermediate its ends with an aperture, one end of said bracketbeing secured to and supporting the mud guard from the under side, and ahollow lamp supporting pillar supported by the channeled member injuxtaposition with the aperture therein, whereby the wires for the lampmay be led through the channeled member and through the aperture andpillar in concealed position to the lamp.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

JOSEPH LEDVVINKA. Witnesses:

A. H. BUXBAUM, L. C. ScHAn'rz.

